Golf-Loving, Ethically Challenged Rep. to Retire

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), who has recently come under fire for his shady charity, won't seek reelection in the fall. In a statement released this afternoon, the nine-term GOP congressmen attributed the abrupt announcement "to the recent diagnosis of my wife" with an "'incurable' autoimmune disease." No mention was made of allegations made surrounding the Frontier Foundation, a six-year-old educational nonprofit that has bankrolled golfing trips for the congressman instead of handing out scholarships. The Internal Revenue Service is still determining whether to investigate Frontier and Buyer, its "honorary chairman."

While Buyer's decision can be read as a victory for government accountability groups, it is less clear what effect it will have on voters in Indiana. A Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson crowed to The Hill, "Instead of drinking Eric Cantor and the NRCC’s Kool-Aid, House Republicans continue to show a lack of confidence in their ability to take back the House as Republican retirements are mounting and their own members refuse to invest in the [National Republican Congressional Committee]." Questions about the foundation did little to damage Buyer's lead in the opinion polls—Republicans maintain a 14-point edge in his district. With a less ethically challenged candidate, it now seems even more likely that the GOP will hold Buyer's seat in the 2010 midterm elections.